Characterization of East African Accessions of Musa AAB "Apple" and Musa AA "Muraru" Desert Bananas

One of the major hindrances to future improvements in bananas and plantains production in East Africa is the endless range of names and synonyms used to describe different cultivars and the lack of understanding of their true biological relationships. The East African AAB “Sukari Ndizi” and AA “Muraru” dessert bananas are prime examples of this confusion. To better understand these two groups of bananas and to evaluate them for economically important traits, vital information such as the identity and distinctness of cultivars needed to be developed. This study had the following general objectives; (1) to use molecular and morphological tools to analyze the variation that exists within the East African AAB “Sukari Ndizi” and AA “Muraru” dessert bananas, (2) to classify AAB “Sukari Ndizi” and AA “Muraru” dessert banana cultivars into distinguishable groups for ease of reference and communication, (3) to identify their key characters for development of a provisional identification system, and (4) to identify superior .AAB “Apple” and AA “Muraru” cultivars for production purposes. In this study, the classification of the East African AAB “Sukari Ndizi” and East African AA “Muraru” bananas was achieved using molecular microsatellite markers, morphological markers, flow cytometry ploidy analysis and horticultural trait evaluation. Microsatellite markers from both nuclear and chloroplast DNAs were useful for distinguishing the various bananas groups, and to separate 4 taxa of AAB “Apple” dessert banana accessions using both cluster and principal component analysis. Using cluster analysis, the “Sukari Ndizi” were classified as distinct taxon within the AAB “Apple” dessert bananas. Flow cytometry analysis also confirmed that “Sukari Ndizi” is triploid AAB and “Muraru” is a diploid AA. Cluster analysis based on microsatellite data showed “Muraru” to be distinct taxon from other .AA accessions, and very closely related to the commercial AAA dessert bananas. Morphological studies have also identified key characters exclusive to these two banana groups that can be used for development of provisional identification systems. Finally, horticultural analysis of several cultivars was carried out using various traits, and these cultivars can be recommended for further production in the region. This study demonstrated that microsatellite markers are useful and powerful tools for banana classification and for the analysis of biological relationships. Flow cytometry determined the ploidy levels of the banana accessions. Analysis of variance of replicated accession samples and the use of Pisum sativum as an internal standard with flow cytometry, made it possible to predict the actual genomic composition of various accessions

"Food System Mapping in Kanyanya (Kampala)" - Workshop Report.

Food value chains are part of the systemic drivers of urban food and nutrition security. An important part of these value chains are the various informal small actors. These include producers, transporters, processors and retailers. One of the main objectives of the NOURICITY project is to initiate and to implement partnership agreements between different local, national and international stakeholders to improve the urban food system. Therefore, we conducted a workshop as indicated by Work Package 1 of the NOURICITY project. This workshop aims to map the stakeholders of the food system in Kampala and to map the food flows in one of the parishes in Kampala. The parish selected was Kanyanya (Kawempe division). The workshop consisted of two days with two groups of people: the first day for parish representatives and the second day for Kampala and national representatives

Kaposis sarcoma in a Nairobi Hospital

Background: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is associated epidemiologically with HIV infection and a number of countries have reported a dramatic increase in the incidence of KS with the advent of AIDS. Although AIDS is prevalent in Kenya, no studies on the impact of AIDS on the pattern of KS has been carried out. Objective: To determine any changes in the pattern of KS that might have occurred since the advent of AIDS in the country. Design: Retrospective descriptive study. Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Method: Pathology records of cases of KS diagnosed at KNH from 1968 to 1997 were analysed with respect to relative frequency, age, sex and site distribution; and trend. The period was divided into the pre and post AIDS era from 1983, which is the time the first AIDS patient was reported in the country. Result: A total of 1108 cases of KS consisting of 911 males and 197 females were recorded. The relative frequency of KS ranged between 2% to 5% of the total malignancies. There was a gradual decline in the male to female ratio from about 10:1 in the sixties to about 2:1 in 1997. There was no dramatic difference in the age distribution in the preand post AIDS era, although a large number of cases were recorded as adults without age specification in the post AlDS era. Site distribution was characteristic of the disease with most of the cases having the lesions occurring in the lower limbs and involving the skin. Conclusion: Although these findings do not demonstrate a dramatic alteration in the pattern of KS in the post AIDS era there were indications that such changes may have been obscured by under-reporting. The fall in the male:female ratio is a strong indication of a rise in KS among female patients. A further study is necessary to elucidate the true impact of AIDS on the pattern of KS in the country. East African Medical Journal Vol. 81 No. 3 March 2004: 120-12

Study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of an NCD access to medicines initative: Evaluation of Novartis Access in Kenya

INTRODUCTION: Novartis recently launched Novartis Access, an initiative to provide a basket of reduced price medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to be sold through the public and private nonprofit sectors in programme countries. This study will evaluate the impact of Novartis Access on the availability and price of NCD medicines at health facilities and households in Kenya, the first country to receive the programme. METHODS: This study will be a cluster randomised controlled trial. 8 counties in Kenya will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control group using a covariate constrained randomisation method to maximise balance on demographic and health characteristics. In intervention counties, public and private non-profit health facilities will be able to order Novartis Access NCD medicines from the Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS). Data will be collected from a random sample of 384 health facilities and 800 households at baseline, midline after 1-year of intervention, and end-line after 2 years. Quarterly surveillance data will also be collected from health facilities and a subsample of households through phone-based interviews. Households will be eligible if at least one resident has been previously diagnosed and prescribed a medicine for an NCD addressed by Novartis Access, including hypertension and diabetes. The primary outcomes will be availability and price of NCD medicines at health facilities, and availability, price, and expenditures on NCD medicines at households. Impacts will be estimated using intention-to-treat analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Boards at Strathmore University and at Boston University. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants at the start of the trial. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, and meetings and events organised with local stakeholders

Effect of wheat bran supplementation with fresh and composted agricultural wastes on the growth of Kenyan native wood ear mushrooms [Auricularia auricula (L. ex Hook.) Underw.]

Nutrient supplements and agricultural wastes used for mushroom cultivation are important in improving establishment and production of mushrooms. Agricultural wastes such as sawdust, grass, sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw and maize cobs have successfully been used for the production of Kenyan wood ear mushrooms [Auricularia auricula (L. ex Hook.) Underw.]. However, the effect of varying concentrations of wheat bran supplements on their productivity has not been fully researched. In this study, fresh and composted agricultural wastes were supplemented with wheat bran at concentrations of 0, 5, 10 and 20%. The cultivation experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) and replicated three times. Data was collected on days to spawn run, days to primordial initiation, primordial concentration quality and biological efficiency. The data collected was subjected to analysis of variance using SAS version 9.1. Mean separation was done using least significant difference (LSD) and effects were declared significant at 5% level. Key words: Wood ear mushrooms, fresh and composted agricultural wastes, wheat bran, Kenya

Fluoride removal performance of phosphoric acid treated lime: Breakthrough analysis and point-of-use system performance

Fluoride in drinking water above permissible levels is responsible for dental and skeletal fluorosis. In this study, removal of fluoride ions from water using phosphoric acid treated lime was investigated in continuous and point-of-use system operations. In the continuous column operations, fluoride removal performance was investigated as a function of the fluoride concentration, flow rate and amount of adsorbent mass. Early saturation and lower fluoride removal were observed at higher flow rate and initial concentration, and at lower mass. Two domestic defluoridation point-of-use systems operated intermittently to process 20 ..day.1 of water were used. High fluoride uptake capacity (FUC) from groundwater was observed depicting the suitability of the new media in defluoridation. However, further research is required to optimise the point-ofuse systems performances

Functionalised natural zeolite and its potential for treating drinking water containing excess amount of nitrate

An excess level of nitrate in drinking water is responsible for methemoglobinemia, or ‘blue baby’ disease. Consequently, management of nitrate in drinking water is universally of public health interest. In this study, clinoptilolite functionalised with cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium (HDTMA) was used for the removal of nitrate from drinking water. The effects of surfactant loading, adsorbent dosage, pH, coexisting ions, temperature and environmental water quality on the adsorption of nitrate were investigated. It was found that adsorption was optimum when the initial concentration of the functionalising surfactant was 3 000 mg∙ℓ-1. An increase in adsorbent dosage raised the percentage removal of nitrate. The valency of the coexisting anion had a major effect on nitrate removal, with the presence of phosphate (a trivalent anion) leading to the lowest removal ability. Temperature and pH had negligible effects on adsorbent performance. Environmental water samples (natural groundwater samples from Limpopo Province, South Africa) were tested and it was found that the World Health Organisation (WHO) regulatory compliance can be achieved even when the initial concentration of nitrate exceeds 300 mg∙ℓ-1. Equilibrium data was modelled using the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms and the data conformed well to the Freundlich isotherm, indicating the heterogeneous nature of the active sites. Kinetically, nitrate adsorption was best described by the pseudo-second rate equation.Keywords: adsorption, zeolite, nitrate, kinetics, equilibriu